Author: John Scalzi
Published: September 19, 2023 by Tor Books
Format: Hardcover, 264 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
First Sentence: I learned about the death of my uncle Jake in a deeply unexpected way, which was from the CNBC Squawk Box morning show.
Blurb: Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place.
Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.
Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.
But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital.
It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.
In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat. (GoodReads)
My Opinion: I am not usually a science fiction fan, but I love it in a satirical format. Charlie Fitzer isn’t anyone’s idea of a superhero, but John Scalzi brings in all the villainy tropes to make him a much-loved character. A thirty-ish divorced, near penniless, substitute teacher who suddenly inherits, or so it seems his estranged uncle’s legacy. Not to mention the ire of Uncle Jake’s competitors.
It turns out that the bequeathed business includes more than just a billion-dollar parking structure. Now Charlie’s life and that of his cats, Hera and Persephone, have been turned upside down. He is at war with supervillains backed by soulless corporations and venture capitalists.
From the first pages, this novel is infused with humor and chaos. I picked up the book, knowing that science fiction was not my cup of tea, but the cover caught my attention, and I wondered if it would be reminiscent of Archer’s Cat O’Nine Tales. It isn’t, but I did not put it down until the end.
Money, power, and morality – the usual supervillain stuff – drive the pages, but Charlie’s good nature, wit, and go-with-the-flow attitude will make this book a shelf-keeper.
Blurb: Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place.
Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.
Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.
But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital.
It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.
In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat. (GoodReads)
My Opinion: I am not usually a science fiction fan, but I love it in a satirical format. Charlie Fitzer isn’t anyone’s idea of a superhero, but John Scalzi brings in all the villainy tropes to make him a much-loved character. A thirty-ish divorced, near penniless, substitute teacher who suddenly inherits, or so it seems his estranged uncle’s legacy. Not to mention the ire of Uncle Jake’s competitors.
It turns out that the bequeathed business includes more than just a billion-dollar parking structure. Now Charlie’s life and that of his cats, Hera and Persephone, have been turned upside down. He is at war with supervillains backed by soulless corporations and venture capitalists.
From the first pages, this novel is infused with humor and chaos. I picked up the book, knowing that science fiction was not my cup of tea, but the cover caught my attention, and I wondered if it would be reminiscent of Archer’s Cat O’Nine Tales. It isn’t, but I did not put it down until the end.
Money, power, and morality – the usual supervillain stuff – drive the pages, but Charlie’s good nature, wit, and go-with-the-flow attitude will make this book a shelf-keeper.
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